Apparatus has been developed for the mechanical working or plasticizing of a hard frozen diary product, such as ice cream. The object of this apparatus is to restore to the frozen comestible, the natural soft, creamy texture that normally accompanies freshly made ice cream, or ice cream custard and to maintain a cool environment to protect against bacterial growth and reduce necessary cleanings of the apparatus. Such an apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,409,067; 2,676,132; 2,676,133; 3,061,279 and Ser. No. 478,219 filed the 24th day of March, 1983; the description thereof desired to be incorporated herein by way of reference.
The above-mentioned apparatus comprises an auger that mechanically works or mixes the frozen dairy product until a smooth, creamy texture is obtained. During this mixing, a certain amount of heat is generated through mechanical action. This heat has been known to sometimes cause an undesirable watery consistency in the final product and encourages its growth of bacteria.
It is also observed, that on hot summer days, the apparatus can quickly warm up if left standing even for short periods of time. There is the possibility of spoilage and bacterial growth which necessitates labor cost and down time for cleaning of the apparatus. Thus, for example, microorganisms, such as psychrophiles, are known to be capable of growth even at 0.degree. C., and exhibit a high growth characteristic in the mesophilic range, i.e., temperatures between 10.degree. and 47.degree. C. It is therefore desirable to maintain a working environment as cool as possible.
While most dairy products have been pasteurized to destroy harmful bacteria, not all bacteria is destroyed, and other bacteria can enter the comestible during the storage, handling and shipping thereof.
Therefore, it has been determined that the aforementioned processing apparatus should have new means to maintain it at as cool a temperature as possible.